The following top players are more or less finished (unlikely to win any major event) :

Nalbandian, Haas, Kuerten, Grosjean, Coria, Ferrero

I really cant see any of these winning a slam. Injuires seem to have hindered thier progress at the highest level.

Marius_Hancu

05-05-2005, 01:31 PM

The following top players are more or less finished (unlikely to win any major event) :

Nalbandian, Haas, Kuerten, Grosjean, Coria, Ferrero

I really cant see any of these winning a slam. Injuires seem to have hindered thier progress at the highest level.

Sorry to say, Guga's much more affected than the others.

Winning a Slam? Perhaps Coria and Ferrero might do it, IMO. Will see.

TwistServe

05-05-2005, 01:32 PM

Add Henman and Moya to the list.

I think Coria may make a comeback.

atatu

05-05-2005, 01:54 PM

Coria could still do it, but you've gotta think that he's saying "Damn, I should have won the French before Nadal made his move...." Right now, he's got to hope that someone knocks off Nadal at RG and Federer doesn't improve on clay....

Feņa14

05-05-2005, 01:59 PM

Nalbandian is still very young and I think he will grab a couple, Haas, Kuerten and Grosjean won't, your right there.

Coria and Ferrero have a few more RG's between them im sure.

And yes, I don't think Moya will either.

pound cat

05-05-2005, 02:07 PM

And no one has written off Safin & that's good. He has a helluva time pursuing tennis as a career. Davai Marat.

Jack the Hack

05-05-2005, 02:16 PM

I think it may be a little premature to write off Coria and Nalbandian. Both of those guys are only 23 years old, and have yet to peak in my opinion.

Ferrero is also only 25, is a Grand Slam champ, and has a game for all surfaces. Therefore, he may be able to recover enough to win another Slam before he is done.

Haas and Grosjean are both very good and have made it far in the Slams a couple times, but are 27+, injury prone, and do not seem to have what it takes to go to the next level and be a Slam champ...

Kuerten was a stud in his time and I wish he could make a strong comeback, but it looks like the hip injuries have done him in...

I love both Henman and Moya, but their chances of winning a Slam seem to be very limited now. Moya obviously won the French 7 years ago, but has not made Slam semifinal since - a surprising underachievement. Henman has made the French and Wimbledon semis, but has never made a final... and at age 31 is not likely to go up a level.

All this being said, the wonderful thing about tennis is that anything can happen. Who would have picked Andres Gomez, Thomas Johansson, Albert Costa, or Gaston Gaudio to win a Slam? If they could do it, any one of these other players could break through again with the right draw and a little luck.

Count Grishnackh

05-05-2005, 02:32 PM

I would say that Kuerten, Haas, Grosjean, Costa and Thomas Johansson are surely done. Their age is hurting them and their lack of confidence as well. As for Coria and Ferrero they're still in it. To say that those two guys are done is very premature. Nalbandian? Well, I never considered him to be Grand Slam material to begin with, he's alot like Canas in my eyes. A tough grinder but eventually will lose before they get deep into the second week of a slam. Lastly, Moya. It seems to me that he's called it a career after he won the Davis Cup. He looks like he's ready to coast the next two years of his career in my opinion.

gugafanatic

05-05-2005, 02:41 PM

I'm still optimistic about Gugas chances, he usually plays inspired tennis at RG and has consitantly made at least the q-finals. Although Guga is unlikely to win another slam, you can never count out the son of Roland Garros as he is the TRICHAMPION.

No one expected Guga to defeat Fed last yr and make the quarters. I think he was soo close to winning RG for a record 4th time last year ,as he had set points in the 4th set against Nalbandian and was looking the stronger player if it went to a decider.

I really think Guga should retire this year, if he consistently suffers early exists to lesser players and stuggles with mobility. He currently seems to be playing pain free, yet is playing with no real intensity. Guga needs to redisover hes shots, rather then think too much about hes stategy. He is not playing naturally from within.

Jack the Hack

05-05-2005, 02:57 PM

OK, I like Nalbandian's game a lot. He reminds me of Mats Wilander, who is my all time favorite. That being said, I am not going to start a thread war defending the guy...

However, please consider:

Nalbandian has made the quarterfinals at the Australian (three times), the semifinals of the French, the semifinals of the US Open (he even had match point on Roddick in that match!), and the finals of Wimbledon. He is a versatile player that can compete on any surface. In addition, he also has a 5-2 career record against Federer.

At only 23 years old, I think he is just starting to get into his peak form and has the potential to win a couple Grand Slam tournaments.

Comparisons to Guillermo Canas are a slight to Nalbandian... Canas will be 28 this year, and has only made one Slam quarterfinal in his career. Based on achievements so far, Nalbandian is definitely in a league above Canas!!!

DashaandSafin

05-05-2005, 03:08 PM

Gugafanatic countless times you make these obviously stupid posts ok? Seriously SHUT UP or stop writing. Almost all the players you named above are young in tennis terms. Big deal one year of injury and people are writing them off...shame. You must be the guy who said Agassis never gonna win again after his slump outta the top 100 right?

gugafanatic

05-05-2005, 04:39 PM

Gugafanatic countless times you make these obviously stupid posts ok? Seriously SHUT UP or stop writing. Almost all the players you named above are young in tennis terms. Big deal one year of injury and people are writing them off...shame. You must be the guy who said Agassis never gonna win again after his slump outta the top 100 right?

Why dont you like my posts, I thought it was an intresting and realistic topic to debate. Do you think Coria, Ferrero or Nalbandian are gonna win a slam this year??? for sure not.

West Coast Ace

05-05-2005, 05:00 PM

Why dont you like my posts, I thought it was an intresting and realistic topic to debate. Do you think Coria, Ferrero or Nalbandian are gonna win a slam this year??? for sure not.Gugafanatic, this thread could easily be considered trolling. You thrown Nalbandian and Coria under the bus but are 'still optimistic' about Guga? LOL! Let's debate Coria. So I'm sure your point is he choked up, cramped up and gave away last year's French to Gaudio. So what? Many players lose their first - some their first few - Slam Finals before they break through. Perhaps you've heard of a guy named Agassi and another fellow named Lendl? Whereas your boy Guga has had a number of operations on his hip and thus his chances of winning 7 - 5 set matches in 14 days are slim at best.

Ferrero, I'm not so sure you're right about him either. I don't think it's a stretch to see him winning the French again - or even an Australian. Haas is an underachiever and now with the bum shoulder probably won't win a Slam. Grosjean, solid pro but really only hovered near the top for a few years - but having a solid career.

Grinder

05-05-2005, 05:00 PM

I'd say some of the older, respected clay court specialists like Felix Mantilla, Alex Corretja and Albert Costa are done. Some of the previous grand slam finalists like Thomas Enqvist, Greg Rusedski and Mark Philipoussis also seem fnished. Tommy Haas seems to be on the downside this year along with Carlos Moya, but you never know, Tommy usually does well in the summer. I hope Guga and Moya are not done.

tennisnj

05-05-2005, 05:37 PM

Define "great", Define "good".

Phil

05-05-2005, 06:21 PM

The following top players are more or less finished (unlikely to win any major event) :

Nalbandian, Haas, Kuerten, Grosjean, Coria, Ferrero

I really cant see any of these winning a slam. Injuires seem to have hindered thier progress at the highest level.

I could NEVER see Nalbandian, Haas or Grossjean winning a slam, even when they were at the peak of their careers. Coria? Possibly the French, but after last year's debacle, I have my doubts about him too.

michaellashan

05-05-2005, 06:35 PM

Jack The Hack stated it best when he brought up Andres Gomez. I remember watching that French Open Final and thinking that there would be NO WAY that this "old guy" could beat Agassi. Nothing is impossible at the French Open. If anything, most of the guys on the list will have their best shot at the French.

Just my opinion.

:D

Grimjack

05-05-2005, 06:43 PM

I think he was soo close to winning RG for a record 4th time last year...

Somewhere, Bjorn Borg sheds a tear.

marialover

05-05-2005, 07:22 PM

Pierce, capriati, Davenport, Martinez

Corretja, Grosjean, Kuerten, Agassi

lacoster

05-05-2005, 07:22 PM

Kuerten is done; he got blasted in straight sets in his last three matches; all on red clay - his favorite surface.

2 and 0 to Martin
5 and 2 to Ancic
3 and 3 to Henman

At least Coria and Nalbandian are still managing to win titles and getting themselves single-digit seedings at tournaments.
________
E60 (http://www.bmw-tech.org/wiki/BMW_E60)

AJK1

05-05-2005, 07:52 PM

None of 'em will win a slam event, and you can include safin, he will never win again!

montx

05-05-2005, 09:08 PM

What happened to Guga by the way?

Gugafan_Redux

05-06-2005, 06:13 AM

Okay:

1) I'm not Guga's doctor, but it's not looking good. Montx, he had hip surgery 2 years ago, recovered a bit to be the only guy in 2004 to beat Federer in a slam. But he had bone spurs (growths) that caused him pain, so he had a second surgery -- late in 2004, I believe. Clearly his best years are behind him. To get back to his best form is a long shot. One thing's for sure, he's well liked. Everyone seems to be pulling for him, despite his odds of a big comeback.

Okay, I'm back. This kid is like the Energizer bunny. He's 23. Atptennis.com does not have the numbers available, but I'll bet his record on clay going back through early 2004 must be about 55-5. He's 2nd favorite for the French in my book.

3) Ferrero is debatable. It seems to be up to him if he returns to the top 5. The only thing stopping him is his will. He's got the game. Players rise and fall. Injuries come and go. But Ferrero should have a resurge in him.

4) Nalbandian is just too ugly to win a slam.

Happy Friday everyone.

tennissavy

05-06-2005, 06:36 AM

Younes El Aynoui
Monica Seles

Pushmaster

05-06-2005, 06:42 AM

Most of the guys mentioned here are either past prime or have peaked early, true. Although he's young, I'm not a big fan of Nalbandian's, he doesn't have any real weaknesses but he doesn't have any big weapon either ala Moya's forehand for example. He'll probably be a career semi or 1/4 finals guy at best like Henman. Speaking of Moya I wouldn't count him out just yet, if he gets on a roll he could go very far at RG, in fact I wouldn't be that surprised if he goes all the way. However, he better do it now because at 29 he's getting long on the tooth.